Britain's Ian Stannard runs out of steam when in sight of victory in Milan-San Remo classic

A heroic effort and late break by British national champion Ian Stannard ended
agonisingly at Milan-San Remo on Sunday when the Team Sky rider was
overhauled with about 200 metres left of the first classic race of the
season.

Germany’s Gerald Ciolek produced a stunning late sprint to beat man-of-the-moment Peter Sagan, of Slovakia, but much of the glory belonged to Stannard, a largely unheralded team worker for both Sky and Great Britain.

In an epic race notable for extreme wintry conditions for the first 75 miles, Stannard looked as strong as any rider but paid at the death for all the work he had done earlier in chasing down the break.

Stannard - nicknamed Yogi because of his bear-like strength - has always been a powerful one-day ‘classics’ rider but initially on Sunday was working for Geraint Thomas before the Welshman was involved in a crash some 17 miles from the finish.

Briefly, as Stannard attacked one final time in the last 1½ miles, it seemed he could hang on for the biggest win of his career but right at the death he had nothing left and had to settle for sixth.

It was a classic finish to a race which is usually a celebration of spring as it heads towards the Mediterranean but turned into a battle for survival as heavy snow and sleet affected much of northern Italy.

At one stage the snow and ice made conditions too dangerous and the race was neutralised with riders being taken by bus some 25 miles around the worst of the weather to a restart point at Cogoleto some 80 miles from the finish.

Many riders took this opportunity to abandon the race but as one of the five monuments of cycling, others decided to press on regardless. Among those pulling out was former world champion Tom Boonen who was highly critical of the race organisers and accused them of lacking respect for the peloton.

In rejigging the race, the organisers also decided to omit the iconic La Manie climb whose descent was considered too hazardous given the conditions.

La Manie often accounts for the pure sprinters and its removal from the race gave fresh hopes to the likes of Mark Cavendish although ultimately the group containing most of the sprinters could never quite get back on terms.

Meanwhile, Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins, fresh from a two-week training block in Tenerife, will race in earnest for the first time this year when he starts the week-long Volta a Catalunya which begins Monday.

After easing his way into the season riding for Chris Froome at the Tour of Oman, Wiggins will be keen to test himself in a mountainous race that boasts 26 categorised climbs over its seven stages and closely resembles some of the tougher stages on this year’s Giro d’Italia, which is Wiggins’s prime objective this season.